How to Show Mail as Plain Text in Outlook

This guide shows you how to read and send email as plain text in Microsoft Outlook, removing all formatting like bold, colors, and images. This is useful for privacy, faster loading, avoiding phishing links, or when you prefer a clean, simple view. You can set this for reading messages, composing new messages, or both. You’ll need access to Outlook’s options menu—steps are the same for Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365.

What You’ll Need

• Microsoft Outlook installed on Windows (desktop app).
• An email account configured in Outlook (Exchange, IMAP, POP, or Microsoft 365).
• Administrator rights on your computer (usually not required, but needed if your organization locks settings).

Step-by-Step

1. Open Outlook on your computer.
2. Click the File tab in the top-left corner.
3. In the backstage view, click Options (usually at the bottom of the left pane).
4. In the Outlook Options window, click Mail in the left sidebar.
5. Scroll down to the Compose messages section. Look for the option labeled Compose messages in this format. Click the dropdown and select Plain Text. This makes all new emails you write plain text by default.
6. Still in the Mail options, scroll further to the Message format section. Here you’ll see two checkboxes:
   • Read all standard mail in plain text – Check this if you want to read all incoming emails as plain text (no formatting, no images, but links remain clickable).
   • Read all digitally signed mail in plain text – Check this if you also want signed messages to appear as plain text. (If you skip this, signed messages may still show formatting.)
7. Click OK to save your changes.
8. Restart Outlook for the changes to take full effect.

To read a single email as plain text without changing global settings:

1. Open the email in its own window (double-click it).
2. In the Message tab (or the Home tab if reading in the Reading Pane), click the Actions button (in the “Move� group).
3. Select Other Actions, then View in Browser is not what you want—instead, look for Display as Plain Text (this option appears when you open the email in a separate window).
4. Click it, and the email will instantly show as plain text. This only affects that one email.

Common Mistakes

• Changing the wrong setting: The “Compose messages in this formatâ€� only affects new emails you write. To read emails as plain text, you must check the “Read all standard mail in plain textâ€� box.
• Not restarting Outlook: Some changes only apply after you close and reopen Outlook.
• Expecting images to disappear: Plain text mode removes formatting and images, but it does not remove attachments. Attachments like pictures or PDFs are still visible as file attachments.
• Forgetting that replies inherit format: When you reply to a formatted email, Outlook may automatically use HTML for the reply. If you want plain text replies, you must set the default compose format to Plain Text (step 5) and also check “Read all standard mail in plain textâ€� so replies are forced to plain text.

Tips

• If you only want plain text for certain senders (like newsletters), create a rule: go to Home > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts, then create a rule that applies to emails from a specific sender and selects “display as plain textâ€�.
• To quickly toggle plain text for a single email, open it and press Ctrl+Shift+F5 (this is a shortcut for “Display as Plain Textâ€� in some versions). If that doesn’t work, use the ribbon method described above.
• Plain text emails are safer because they strip out HTML code that could hide malicious links or tracking pixels.
• If you frequently switch between formats, consider adding the “Plain Textâ€� button to the Quick Access Toolbar: right-click the button in the ribbon and choose “Add to Quick Access Toolbarâ€�.

Troubleshooting

• I don’t see the “Read all standard mail in plain textâ€� option: This option is only available in the Windows desktop version of Outlook. If you’re using Outlook on the web (browser), you cannot change this setting—use the “Display as Plain Textâ€� option per email instead (click the three dots in the email and select “View as plain textâ€�).
• The setting didn’t stick: Make sure you clicked OK and not just closed the window. Also, check if your organization’s Group Policy forces certain formats—if so, the options may be greyed out. Contact your IT admin.
• Emails still show formatting after checking the box: Some emails are sent as “multipartâ€� with both HTML and plain text versions. Outlook will show the plain text version if you’ve enabled the setting. If it still shows HTML, try restarting Outlook or check if the email is a “digitally signedâ€� message—you need to check the second box for those.
• Links in plain text emails are not clickable: That’s normal—plain text strips hyperlink formatting. You can copy and paste the link into your browser.
• I want to send a single email as plain text without changing default: In the compose window, click the Format Text tab and then click Plain Text (in the “Formatâ€� group). This converts the current email to plain text.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does plain text remove attachments?

No. Attachments remain, but any inline images (like logos) are removed. You’ll see attachments as file icons.

Will I still see tables in plain text?

No. Tables are converted to plain text with spaces and line breaks, which can look messy. That’s a limitation of plain text.

Can I set plain text for only incoming mail?

Yes. Check “Read all standard mail in plain text� while leaving “Compose messages in this format� as HTML. That way you read everything as plain text but still send formatted emails.

Why are some emails still showing images?

If you’re using the Reading Pane, Outlook may still load images in the preview. Open the email in a separate window and the plain text setting will apply. Also, check if you have “Read all standard mail in plain text� checked.

Does this affect my sent emails?

Only if you change the compose format to Plain Text. If you only changed the reading option, your sent emails remain in the original format (HTML).

Is plain text the same as “text only� in Outlook?

Yes, “Plain Text� and “Text Only� are the same thing. You might see “Text Only� in some menus.

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